Global Health Leaders Launch Decade of Vaccines Collaboration

Global Vaccine Action Plan to guide discovery, development and delivery of lifesaving vaccines

In collaboration with UNICEF, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

New York, December 2, 2010 -The World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have announced a collaboration to increase coordination across the international vaccine community and create a Global Vaccine Action Plan. This plan will build on the successes of current work to achieve key milestones in the discovery, development and delivery of lifesaving vaccines to the most vulnerable populations in the poorest countries over the next decade.

The collaboration follows the January 2010 call by Bill and Melinda Gates for the next ten years to be the Decade of Vaccines. The Global Vaccine Action Plan will enable greater coordination across all stakeholder groups – national governments, multilateral organizations, civil society, the private sector and philanthropic organizations -- and will identify critical policy, resource, and other gaps that must be addressed to realize the life- saving potential of vaccines.

The structure of the Decade of Vaccines Collaboration includes a Leadership Council to provide oversight for the planning effort, a Steering Committee that holds the primary responsibility for developing the action plan, an International Advisory Committee to assist the Leadership Council in evaluating the action plan, and a Secretariat for administrative support.
Prof. Pedro Alonso, Director for the Institute for Global Health of Barcelona and Dr. Christopher Elias, President and CEO of PATH, have been appointed co-chairs of the Steering Committee and the Secretariat.
"Vaccines are miracles," said Prof. Alonso, "for just a few dollars per child, vaccines prevent disease and disability for a lifetime. We must make sure that people understand that vaccines are one of the best investments in health."

The Leadership Council is comprised of:

Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of WHO;

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Director of NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health;

The Decade of Vaccines Collaboration expects to complete its work by mid-2012. At that time, all vaccine stakeholder groups will be responsible for implementing the action plan.

"We look forward to working with the global vaccine community to extend the benefits made possible by existing vaccines and new vaccines in development," said Dr. Elias, "together we can ensure that all children have a shot at a healthy life."

About WHO

WHO is the directing and coordinating authority on international health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence- based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

About UNICEF

UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

About the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

NIAID conducts and supports research to study the causes of infectious and immune- mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. NIAID is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services and the primary U.S. federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.